House Judiciary

Tuesday, March 31, 2026·4h 52m·▶ Watch / Listen

The House Judiciary Committee spent an emotional, hours-long single-bill hearing on HB26-1309, 'Abuse in Cases of Separation,' hearing survivors describe children murdered during court-ordered visits and accused parents describe false allegations weaponized in custody fights, before advancing the measure to Appropriations on a split 6-5 vote that crossed party lines.

Key Actions

·Abuse in Cases of SeparationPassed

Notable Quotes

“The court ordered me to send my daughters to their father. During his court order of unsupervised parenting time, he brutally murdered them.”
Katie Wolf (reading for Erica Bethel) · witness — The single most wrenching moment of support testimony, offered as the stakes proponents say the bill is meant to prevent — abuse continuing through custody arrangements after separation.

+ 5 more quotes

Votes

Referred to Committee on AppropriationsAction

Yes (6)Jennifer Bacon, Chad Clifford, Cecelia Espenoza, Lorena Garcia, Yara Zokaie, Javier Mabrey

No (5)Ava Flanell, Rebecca Keltie, Scott Slaugh, Matt Soper, Michael Carter

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TranscriptPreview

Welcome to order. Ms. Shipley, please call the roll. Representatives Bacon. Excused. Clifford. Excused. Espinosa. Here. Fl. Here. Garcia. Here. Kelty. Here. Slaw. Here. Soper. Here. Zai. Excused. Carter. Present. Mr. Chair. Here. Okay, members, we have one bill today. House Bill 1309 we're gonna do because there are quite a bit of witnesses, but since we only have one bill and I think people want to share their personal stories, we're gonna do three minutes instead of two minutes for testimony. And with that, let's get started. Whoever would like to begin. Rep. Story. Rep. Furlich. Rep. Story. Wow. Good morning. Just barely. Mr. Chair and members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity to speak in deep support of this bill today. It's been a privilege working alongside Representative Froelich over the past few years on several pieces of incredibly important common sense legislation meant to keep children safe when going through family court. This bill is the logical next step in this process. A few years ago, a trauma informed care social worker shared with me a horrifying ProPublica investigation detailing the story of a Colorado father with a self confessed history of sexual assault and a…

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